Business

The Death the Mutual Fund: Matthew Murawski Explains Why ETFs May Be a Fit as Part of Your Investment Strategy

Published

3 years ago

November 9, 2022

Since the Great Depression, mutual funds have presented a great opportunity for everyday people to invest in the stock market. Rather than risking their fortune on individual winners and losers, investors selected groups of stocks, making them not only a more diversified investment but also more attainable to people who could not afford the high commission fees, in Murawski’s opinion.

And for decades, mutual fund investing has been touted as a smart, principled financial planning strategy. However, those days may soon be coming to an end. As Goodstein Wealth Management financial planner Matthew Murawski explains, a new generation of investors may usher in a new investment strategy.

“We have a big shift in demographics,” Murawski says. “The Baby Boomer advisor has almost all classic mutual funds. But now, an exchange-traded fund does the same basic principle, but they are typically a lot less expensive and are more transparent and tax efficient.”

One of the most important distinctions between mutual funds and ETFs are the costs associated with each. Although Murawski still uses a few mutual funds, most of his portfolio contains ETFs – for the simple reason that they are generally less expensive and more efficient in his opinion.

“There are zero trading costs for an ETF,” Murawski says. “I can buy the S&P 500 index ETF for about a .03 expense ratio and not pay a commission. I can buy it or sell it whenever I want. But if I buy the same thing in a mutual fund, I’m going to pay a $12, $14, $16 commission every time through our custodian, TD Ameritrade.”

With many Baby Boomer investors and advisors retiring, the guidance is beginning to shift toward a younger generation. And according to Murawski, new advisors and this new investing class are overwhelmingly choosing ETFs.

“I don’t know anybody under 40 buying mutual funds,” Murawski says. “If I said to a client under 40, we’re buying mutual funds in an account, a majority of them will ask, why aren’t we buying ETFs?”

This gradual transition from mutual funds to ETFs is being seen throughout the investment world. ETF.com has projected that in the near future, ETF assets will exceed mutual fund assets. And traditional mutual fund advisors are beginning to take notice. They are trying to adapt to the changes in the market, as well as changes in investment strategy, to maintain relevance with a new generation of investors.

“In my opinion, investors under 30 will never own mutual funds,” Murawski says. “It would be like selling them a Discman. It is almost out of style. So mutual fund companies are being forced to change and come out with ETF versions of the same mutual funds.”

Another way that mutual fund companies are able to adjust is by offering what they call clean shares – dramatically reducing the cost of buying mutual funds. These represent important changes in the way mutual fund companies compete with the emergence of ETFs.

“In my opinion, In the end, those that are not innovating are losing massive amounts of assets,” Murawski says. “The pandemic alone brought millions of new investors into the market. And I do not feel those investors are not going to buy mutual funds.”

In the end, it comes down to cost and performance – and many actively managed mutual funds are not outperforming their benchmarks enough to justify their cost. Instead, investors are choosing ETFs, which can give them nearly the exact same thing at a lower price.

“When you don’t outperform and you charge more, it’s problematic,” Murawski says. “In my opinion, mutual fund companies are either dying or they’re innovating and moving toward a different structure.”

Matthew Murawski is a financial planner with Goodstein Wealth Management. He provides personalized wealth management advice to the firm’s 401(k) clients as well as his own individual clients. Murawski educates investors to help them work towards being positioned for long-term financial growth.

To learn more about Murawski and Goodstein Wealth Management, visit www.goodsteinwm.com or connect on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

Business

How Galen M. Hair and Insurance Claim HQ Use AI to Fight Insurance Companies and Win for Policyholders

Published

8 mins ago

April 14, 2026

Matthew Wiles

Key Takeaways:

Galen M. Hair founded Insurance Claim HQ in 2020 with a single commitment to represent policyholders, never insurers. The firm has since recovered over hundreds of millions for more than thousands of clients across nine states and Washington, D.C.
Insurance Claim HQ pairs aggressive courtroom advocacy with a client success team, free educational resources, and community disaster relief efforts that reflect Galen M. Hair’s belief that legal work should serve people beyond the case file.
Insurance Claim HQ is now integrating AI into claims evaluation and operations, using the same tools insurers rely on to minimize payouts.

The path to founding one of the country’s most recognized property insurance law firms started with a pair of work gloves and a truck full of supplies. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Galen M. Hair was among the volunteers who showed up in New Orleans to help gut flooded homes and distribute essentials to displaced families. The experience reshaped how he understood loss, recovery, and the gap between what insurers promise and what they deliver. That gap would become the foundation of his career.

In 2020, Galen launched Insurance Claim HQ in Metairie, Louisiana. Weeks later, Hurricane Laura made landfall. While most new firms would have been overwhelmed, Galen and his team spent their days running inspections for clients and their nights feeding hundreds of displaced residents in the hardest-hit areas. That combination of legal expertise and grassroots care became the firm’s identity. Today, powered by Hair Shunnarah Trial Attorneys, Insurance Claim HQ has recovered over hundreds of millions for more than thousands of clients nationwide.

A Firm Built Around One Principle

Galen did not set out to build a general practice. He built a firm that would stand exclusively with policyholders against the companies that insure them. Insurance Claim HQ has never represented an insurance carrier, and that single-sided commitment runs through every decision, from legal strategy to hiring to how the front desk answers the phone.

That focus has also shaped the firm’s internal culture. Galen consolidated his team into a single building to strengthen collaboration and alignment. “We evaluate our company culture weekly, not quarterly,” he says. “Success is ultimately measured by happy clients.” The firm employs a dedicated client success professional whose only role is to listen to clients and make sure they feel heard, an uncommon structure in an industry where communication is one of the most frequent complaints.

Galen’s leadership through adversity reinforced this approach. During the COVID-19 pandemic, when hiring across the legal industry stalled, and uncertainty defined every decision, he kept the firm steady by focusing on what he calls the “true value proposition” of the work. “The challenge is separating yourself while the entire world enters into financial, political, and public health turmoil,” Galen explains. “You have to draw in the right members, showing a unique value proposition that is more than just a paycheck and specializing.”

The results speak to the model. The firm recently secured an $11 million hurricane verdict. Clients regularly refer friends and family after experiencing the combination of aggressive litigation and personal attention. Galen holds licenses to practice in Louisiana, Florida, Massachusetts, and New York, and the firm now represents policyholders in nine states and Washington, D.C.

Turning AI Against the Insurers Who Use It

Galen’s latest focus is on artificial intelligence, and his reasoning is straightforward. Insurance carriers have spent years using automated systems to evaluate claims, flag inconsistencies, and reduce payouts. Galen decided that if technology was going to be used against policyholders, his firm would use the same tools to fight back.

At Insurance Claim HQ, AI now supports early claim analysis and documentation review. The firm cross-references historical imagery, inspection records, and environmental data to identify which claims will withstand scrutiny and which will not. That discipline saves clients time and frees attorneys from hundreds of hours of manual file review. AI-driven legal tools also help the team synthesize policy language and prior court decisions across jurisdictions, allowing attorneys to build arguments faster and with greater precision.

The technology extends into operations as well. Automated intake systems route inquiries, schedule consultations, and collect preliminary information without adding friction for people already dealing with loss. Marketing systems deliver personalized educational content to homeowners before they make costly claims mistakes. According to industry research, the global AI in insurance market was valued at $4.59 billion in 2022 and is projected to approach $80 billion by 2032. Insurance Claim HQ’s difference lies in deploying these tools selectively, always in service of the client.

Galen is clear about the limits. “People are worried AI is going to replace everyone, but that’s not exactly what’s happening,” he says. “It’s augmenting and supplementing you.”

Beyond the Courtroom

Galen’s impact extends beyond case outcomes. After Hurricanes Laura and Ida, his team delivered supplies and hot meals to affected communities. He hosts the Level Up Claims podcast and an annual summit aimed at bringing transparency to property insurance law, giving attorneys, adjusters, and policyholders tools they can use long before they ever need a lawyer. The firm publishes free claim guides and disaster preparedness checklists through its website.

“Navigating the complexities of insurance can be overwhelming, but with the right guidance, claimants can level the playing field,” Galen says. That statement captures a firm that measures success not by growth, but by how many people it helps rebuild.

About Galen M. Hair
Galen M. Hair, Managing Partner at Insurance Claim HQ, is a nationally recognized property insurance attorney known for aggressively representing policyholders across the U.S. With thousands of families helped and a reputation for high-stakes litigation wins, he has been named a Super Lawyers Rising Star and one of the National Trial Lawyers Top 100. Learn how to protect your property from disaster at www.insuranceclaimhq.com.